Truthful Lies
by themiller
Summary: "Of all the lies he had told that night, that particular one was the truest."


**A/N: This takes place immediately after Season 2 Episode 7, Depths. It was inspired by the conversation taking place between Dick, Wally, Artemis, and Kaldur at the end of the episode. **

**Enjoy!**

_"The more impressive trick is how you got something so specific from Zatanna, without revealing who, or what, it was for."_

_"We have a history"_

* * *

Of all the lies he had told that night, that particular one was the truest.

Dick Grayson and Zatanna Zatara _did_ have a history. A very extensive history. An infinitely more complex and convoluted history than Artemis, Wally, or Kaldur could have comprehended. But then, _having a history_ implies that it was over, done with, terminated.

And none of those phrases came even remotely close to describing the intense relationship between the master magician and the proverbial son of the bat.

When Dick had first laid eyes on the daughter of Giovanni Zatara, the words _angel of darkness_ had run through his mind. While that description could not be further from the truth, it did accurately represent his wonder at, according to his hormone-fueled-adolescent-mind, her pure, unadulterated _hotness_. She had captivated his every thought for that entire day. Her quirked smile that made his heart jump an extra few inches within his chest. Her mischievous blue eyes, almost begging him to… do _something_, _anything_ really. Her silk-like, hair, practically inviting him to run his hands through it, even while his mouth would be preoccupied with other things. Specifically, her full, luscious lips, always almost pouting. Or her simply tantalizing costume, a mix of formal and seductive that nearly left him panting. Those all too perfect curves, swelling and shrinking in all the right places. And her flirting… it was like every single thought he had about her was reflected in her own mind regarding him.

Of course, things only got worse—or better—from there.

He began to notice the other things about her; things that didn't seem to be attractive in any way, shape, or form, but somehow still managed to be so for him. They way her eyebrows would rise ever so slightly when she glanced at him, as if asking, _"When?"_ Or how her fingers would always be moving, brushing against one another, fiddling with a button, twirling a pen, brushing his appendages. When she would narrow her eyes at him in mock anger when he teased her about her ever growing confusion regarding the inter-Team relations, most particularly that of Wally and Artemis. Or her odd habit of flicking beads of sweat off of her face while they trained, always perfectly aiming the movement so that the droplet would land on him.

* * *

Then, her father had become Dr. Fate.

Even after the five years had passed, she still had to remind him daily that he was the only reason she had made it through that time of her life.

Like the night after Wally's birthday. Bruce (whom she had only known as Batman at the time) had been called away on a "mission"; she now knew that the "mission" had been to meet Queen Perdita , to ensure that the Vlatava under her rule would be a benefit to humanity, and not the weapon it would have been under Vertigo's rule. Of course, with "daddy bats" out, Dick had decided to stay the night in the Cave. They had finished off the last of Wally's birthday food for dinner, and had watched a JSA movie marathon from the '50s. While the rest of the team, or at least those present, including Megan, Connor, and Robin, celebrated the day's victory, Zatanna had faked for their sakes; she had forced her smiles, her laughs had always ended a second or two before everyone else's, and more than once she was forced to take a "bathroom break" in order to dry her eyes. And, finally, as she collapsed on her bed, preparing to cry herself to sleep, Robin had walked in, still in a t-shirt, jeans, and his trademark sunglasses.

"You know when people say, 'I'm so sorry. I understand what you must be going through.'? And in that moment, when they say it, you realize that there is no way they could possibly understand what you were going through? That their empathy is baseless, and that they are either lying to you or themselves when they tell you that?"

Zatanna could only blink in confusion. The Boy Wonder had literally just described her exact thoughts. It was as if he were secretly Martian. "Well… yeah, I guess so."

He let a small smile sneak through, one that caused her heart to flutter guiltily. She lost her father, and yet still she continued to think about this boy. But before she could mentally berate herself, he continued. "Zatanna… with me, it's a little different."

Her curiosity was now piqued. The lure of finding out more about the secret identity of Robin, the Boy Wonder, and the possibility of finding comfort in his words was too much. She sat herself up, smoothed the wrinkles on her top, and then looked at him attentively.

He sighed, then started in. "Four years ago, I lived with my parents in a circus. We were acrobats; a family of acrobats, often considered the best. And then one night, they were taken from me… right before my eyes. During a performance, a mob member entered the show, and he shot… As I watched them fall, I felt my life shatter. And I thought that it would remain shattered, forever."

Zatanna then began to regret allowing him to tell this story. While it was still interesting to learn about Robin, she feared this story would only depress her more.

"People tried to comfort me. Tried to say everything would be all right, that they knew what I was going through, and that I was going to make it. And I knew, deep down, that they were all lying. Not to be cruel, not to try and delude me, but because they believed it was the best thing to do. And while I understood, I hated them for it. And then, Bru-… I mean, Batman came along. He began to talk to me about how **his **parents had died when he was just a kid… and I realized that I had found someone who knew **exactly** what I was going through. Without him… I don't know what would have happened to me. I guess what I want to say is… I'm here for you, Zatanna. I know exactly what you're going through, and any time you need anything, know that I'm here."

Zatanna was speechless. Then, as Robin turned to leave, she let out a whimper, not wanting him to leave. As he turned around, she stretched her arms in a silent plea. And that was the first of many nights she would spend in his arms.

* * *

They began spending inordinate amounts of time together. Day longs trips that they swore were just for "coffee". Entire nights that would be spent simply gazing at the stars, holding hands. Dick even missed a recon mission with Batman at one point, which nearly ended the relationship then and there.

And then, the "Starro-tech Incident" occurred. Throughout the entire battle, neither one left the other's mind. Even as Dick received a crushing kick from his master, he worried over the raven-haired magician. Then, suddenly, it was over, and the Watchtower announced in its monotone, "Happy New Year, Justice League." And everyone saw Wally scoop up Artemis, and heard his incredibly corny line, "I should've done this a **long** time ago…" Surprisingly, or rather, unsurprisingly, Artemis merely answered with a "No kidding…" and then placed her mouth on his. And suddenly, Zatanna didn't care what happened to anyone else. She only cared about the thirteen year-old standing beside her, grinning mischievously, no doubt planning to use this moment against a certain red-haired speedster from now till the end of time. Her only thought before she moved was, "Oh no, you are **not** letting me be the only one here without a New Year's kiss, because I'm pretty sure—" Of course, her body hadn't even allowed her to finish the thought, simply grabbing the Boy Wonder and pulling him in for a mind-blowing kiss. For the first time, though not for the last, Dick was taken completely off guard by this blue-eyed, raven-haired wonder. To his credit, he recovered quickly, placing his arms around her and returning the kiss just as passionately.

And once again, this action would be the first of many.

* * *

They continued getting more and more serious from there. Gradually, the looks became longer, the kisses more heated, the want harder to ignore. And then, when they both turned 16, **she** came into the picture.

Dick had told Zatanna multiple times about his best friend, and even if he couldn't mention any names, he could tell her all about the mysterious red-head. Zatanna originally felt a little jealous, knowing that there was another girl in the Boy Wonder's life who almost spent as much time with as him as she herself did, but when Robin promised her that there was nothing between them, she dropped the matter, and didn't worry about it again.

Then, she became Batgirl. And suddenly there was a whole new allure about her that had never existed before. Between the fact that Robin was obviously developing feelings for his crime-fighting partner and that Batgirl knew the Boy Wonder's secret identity when Zatanna didn't proved too much for the relationship. Zatanna broke it off, and it seemed that the Team's dynamic would never be the same.

Two days later, Robin stumbled into her room, in civilian clothes and dark sunglasses, obviously upset. The tear tracks on his face, the gauntness of his cheeks, the stooped posture. All signs of the depression he was suffering from. And before Zatanna could even ask what was wrong, he ripped off his trademark glasses, threw them on the ground, and whispered, "Dick. Dick Grayson."

Zatanna instantly realized that Robin had just done two things that he had scarcely done for anyone else; he had shown her his eyes, and he had told her his name. Despite the risk, despite all Batman's warnings not to, he had done it. And solely for her.

She jumped off of her bed and into his arms, firmly planting her lips upon his. They didn't stop for nearly two hours, completely losing track of any sense of time. Then, exhausted both mentally and physically, they fell asleep in each other's arms once again.

When they awoke, the first words out of her mouth were, "We can't tell anyone."

His eyes widened in surprise. Dick had been dreaming of telling everyone about the rekindling. Granted, no one would be surprised, but at the same time, he felt like people should know. "Why not?"

Zatanna sighed in despair. "Your father."

Understanding flashed in his face, and he recognized the truth of it. There was no way in hell that he could tell anyone that Zatanna knew his secret I.D., because if he did, then sooner or later Batman would find out. And as soon as Batman found out, he was dead. Or, at least, their relationship was.

Granted, they could try and tell everyone that they had just "worked it out", but no one would accept that as an answer. Everyone knew why they had broken up, and everyone knew that the only way they would've gotten back together was if Zatanna somehow knew who Robin really was.

So, they told no one. They allowed all of their friends to believe that Robin and Zatanna were no longer together, merely friends, doing their best to ignore the troubles of the past.

* * *

While in many cases secrets often stifle relationships, in this case, it performed the exact opposite. The thrill of seeing each other in secret created a sort of passion that could not have been created otherwise. Of course, they most likely would have fallen in love eventually anyways, but it just happened all the faster because of this new dynamic to their relationship.

This new passion lasted for only three months, however. What could one expect? When Dick's father happened to be the greatest detective on the planet, it was an accomplishment that the secret was even kept for that long.

So, three weeks before Dick's seventeenth birthday, Zatanna opened the door of her bedroom in the cave to see Dick Grayson, angrier than she had ever seen him. He stormed in, slammed the door, and stated, "You're no longer dating Robin."

Zatanna wasn't sure what was going on, but to her, it sounded like the best thing in her life was ending, and tears sprung to her eyes. However, before the first sob could escape her throat, Dick spoke again.

"From now on, my name is Nightwing."

And then, her tears kept coming, though for entirely different reasons. Without even having to ask, she realized that Dick and Bruce had fought, and that Dick was moving out. She had seen it coming; Dick had been increasingly frustrated with his mentor recently, who was placing constant pressure on him to leave the Team for the Justice League. She placed her hand on his, silently begging him to vent to her, to let her take his problems from his shoulders.

He sighed, and continued. "Bruce knows about us, Zee. He knows that we're together, and more importantly, he knows that you know who I am. He's pissed. He told me that you and I were through, and that he was going to have to have a long "discussion" with you about not telling anyone what had happened between us, or who I was. When I said no, he blew up. So I left. Jumped on the bike and headed for the nearest zeta tube."

Zatanna placed her hand on his cheek. "What will you do? Where will you go?"

A small smile crept its way onto his cheek. "I know I'm not even seventeen yet, but I can get my own place. It won't be hard; I have enough aliases at this point that are adults that finding a place outside of Gotham won't be too hard. The only question is, where will I go?"

She shook her head, saying without words that she simply didn't know.

He sat for a long time, not saying anything. Then, his head shot up, and his dark blue eyes were no longer angry; they were determined. "Blǖdhaven."

She then replies simply, "No."

She knows about Blǖdhaven. She knows how horrible it is. And there is no way she is allowing her boyfriend to live there.

"I have contacts in New York. That's where we're going."

He blinks in surprise. "We?"

She smiles at him, and he realizes what she is implying…

They decide not to tell anyone, because frankly, people were freaking out enough at this point with Artemis and Wally leaving the superheroing behind. A new twist of events wouldn't help the situation.

The next day he tells the team that he and Batman had a falling out, and that he was moving out of the Batcave. When asked where he would be staying, he simply smiled and said, "Sorry guys, but being associated with Batman puts my secret identity at risk. Even you guys knowing could risk disaster. And, really, don't we all prefer to feel the aster?"

A few days later, Zatanna announces that she is moving out of the cave as well. She simply tells them that she has friends in New York, so they would be providing her an apartment. And just like that, Zatanna and Dick were living together.

* * *

He jumps as he realizes that he's arrived. As he walks in the front door to the apartment, he breathes in deeply, relishing in the smell of home. A quick check of the house reveals that his roommate hasn't arrived yet, so, as a treat for her, he begins making dinner, a treat they rarely share anymore. Between her League duties and his responsibility as Team leader and one of the protectors of New York, the only time they usually see each other is when they wake up and when they stumble back into the house, drunk with exhaustion. The both of them are lucky that Bruce and Dick got over the fight eventually; without the billionaire's support, they could never continue paying for the house, even with Dick's trust fund from his parents.

He hears her footsteps, and quickly finishes placing the table settings and lighting the candles, then stands in front of the table, awaiting his girlfriend.

As she steps into the room, she smiles softly. Zatanna steps forward, snakes her arms around his neck, and crushes his mouth with her own. And as she gently pulls him to the bedroom, he finds that he could care less that he's been lying to his friends all day, because, honestly, these moments are worth every ounce of guilt he receives from his truthful lies.

* * *

**A/N: Well, that was freaking fun!**

**R&R, please! Let me know what you thought!**


End file.
